The May issue of Military History Matters, the British military history magazine, is now on sale.

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In this issue:

Yi Sun-sin: history’s greatest admiral

Few in the West have heard of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, but he may well be the greatest admiral to have ever lived. Undefeated in naval battle, he used technological advantage and superior strategy to beat the Japanese invasion fleet that threatened the shores of Korea during the Imjin War, 1592-1598.

In our special this month, Edmund West first gives an overview of Admiral Yi’s dazzling career, then Marc DeSantis drills down into the detail to analyse his greatest victory, the Battle of Hansando in 1592.

Battle for Stalingrad

Was Stalingrad the greatest triumph of the Second World War? Anthony Heywood argues the case.

The Sinking of the Lusitania

Anthony Richards uses first-hand testimony to recreate the dying moments of the stricken Lusitania on 7 May 1915.

Alan Turing and the King’s College code-breakers

Neil Faulkner interviews Dermot Turing, nephew of Alan Turing, and reveals inside knowledge of the life and times of the legendary code-breaker.

Regiment: the Dumbartonshire Fencibles

Patrick Mercer reports on a short-lived volunteer regiment’s involvement in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Also in this issue:

War on Film; Royal Deaths at War; War Culture, Behind the Image, Book Reviews; Museum Review; Event Listings; Competitions; and much more.

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From the editor

MHM Editor Dr Neil Faulkner

Who was history’s greatest admiral? Pose this question in an English-speaking context and the chances are that the debate will not include any Chinese, Japanese, or Korean names. Yet, as Edmund West and Marc DeSantis reveal in our special this time, Korea’s Admiral Yi Sun-sin is considered by some to have been a greater naval commander than Nelson. During the Imjin War (1592-1598), he fought 23 battles, was victorious in every one, and did not lose a single ship. In one of his most brilliant triumphs, he took on 330 Japanese ships with just 12 Korean ships!

We continue the naval theme with Anthony Richards’ piece on the sinking of the Lusitania, though here the focus is the first-hand experience of survivors of the disaster.

Back on land, Anthony Heywood takes issue with Andrew Mulholland, who argued in October’s MHM that Tunisia was a bigger Allied victory than Stalingrad. Our piece this time reasserts the central strategic significance of the Soviet victory to the outcome of the Second World War.

If Tunisia and Stalingrad were strategic turning points, what of the very different role of the Bletchley Park code-breakers? MHM interviewed Dermot Turing, nephew of the inventor of the machine that cracked the Enigma codes, and we have some fascinating insights to share about Alan Turing’s war work.

Finally, Patrick Mercer has selected an unusual regiment this month: the short-lived Dumbartonshire Fencibles, who played a key role in the suppression of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

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